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Dungyü - Blood and Bone (documentary film)

Garje Khamtrul Rinpoche is a refugee who has started a new life in exile. He is also the reincarnation of Jamyang Drakpa, the scribe who recorded the Great Fifth Dalai Lama’s visions in seventeenth century Tibet.

Dungyü will follow his & his family's efforts to establish a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India and pass on the Fifth Dalai Lama's teachings to a new generation of Himalayan people.

Project Background

Rinpoche's family is a family of incarnate lamas: his first son and two of his grandsons were recognized to be the incarnations of great Buddhist masters. Despite their spiritual ties, theirs is still a very human family with all the conflicts and challenges of any other.

Dungyü follows the family as they attempt to overcome the difficulties of re-establishing Buddhist culture in exile, struggling to preserve their identity and values in the face of changing times and new influences.

The story will be told through fly on the wall footage of the spiritual, political, personal and daily life at the monastery. The small shooting team have already been embedded in the family and return in November 2012 to capture Rinpoche's family reunion. Dungyü is being shot in HD by multi award winning cinematographer Marius Matzow Gulbrandsen. The production will culminate in the scheduled visit of the Dalai Lama in recognition of the holiness of this monastery and its heritage.

The narrative will be given depth through interviews with all of the family and other diverse parties such as local officials, the people involved in building and running the monastery, cultural experts like Tashi Tsering, a respected Tibetan historian, and other people affected by the arrival of this family of lamas, such as local Indian people and those sympathetic to and curious about Tibetan spirituality, to bring the audience into this world of faith in reincarnation.

Tibetan Buddhist artwork and the many photographs from Tibet’s archives will be animated to bring us into this world. A large focus of this documentary will be the animation element, which will augment the personal testimonies and footage of dramatic events unfolding, to visualize the culture and aesthetics of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as it’s history and folklore. Tibet’s archives have already offered free access to all of their footage, photographs and other resources.

These are three generations of lamas, and this will be another part of the narrative, as one remembers the Chinese invasion and the poverty he lived through, whilst his grandson is a child of the modern world with all that entails.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

If you are a supporter of the Tibetan cause and you believe in freedom, please jump on board and help us make this film a reality.

We are dedicated to bringing this story to life and bringing it to your homes, but our resources are limited and the costs are high. So therefore we decided to reach out to you and give you the opportunity to participation and support this film. Together with your help, we can really make this important project happen and when it's all done, we can all proudly say that we've been a part of making something meaningful and lasting

Make a pledge today via Kickstarter. Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference!

All contributions will be rewarded! Please check out the donation tiers to your right and decide which level and gift is right for you.

How will your pledge help?

We are currently in the early stages of production with an expected completion date of November 2013. Your donations will be used to cover filming expenses and help us achieve this important phase in order to finish the film on time. Your pledges will be used to cover the following crew costs.

Airfare and travel costs

Room and board

Video and audio equipment

How to make a pledge

Just click the green “Back This Project” button in the upper right-hand corner. You will be asked to input your pledge amount and select a reward. From there, you will go through the Amazon checkout process. You must finish the Amazon checkout process for your pledge to be recorded.

Please help spread the word by telling your friends, family and social networks about our film and our Kickstarter campaign. Send the URL of this page with your kind recommendation to everyone you know! "Like" and Share the link on Facebook, Twitter and Blog about this film. Your support will help us bring this meaningful story to life.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Risks and challenges

Timing is our main concern and we need your support to resume filming in November. As with any production the risks are numerous, reaching production deadlines being the main one. With your support we can achieve our goal of meeting our next deadline and we'll be able to leave to get the most of the story on camera. The cast and crew we've assembled is ready to film, but without you it means nothing. Please help support our project, either through your contribution or by just spreading the word online to you friends. Thank you for your support!